bandgapreference
A bandgap reference is an electronic circuit that generates a stable DC reference voltage by combining temperature-dependent quantities in a way that cancels their temperature variations. The best known goal is a voltage near the silicon bandgap energy, about 1.2 volts at room temperature, with minimal dependence on supply voltage and ambient temperature. Bandgap references are widely used in integrated circuits as core voltage references for analog and mixed-signal blocks.
Principle: The circuit typically uses two temperature-dependent elements: a complementary-to-absolute-temperature (CTAT) term, such as a transistor’s
Implementation and variants: The classic approach, known as the Brokaw bandgap, uses transistors with different emitter
Applications and considerations: Bandgap references serve as stable cores for ADCs, DACs, voltage regulators, and microcontroller